The Constitutional Court has today endorsed the entire euthanasia law approved by the Government of Pedro Sánchez in 2021. According to sources from the body, the presentation by magistrate Ramón Sáez, contrary to the appeal filed by Vox, has been supported by nine votes against two against, that of Enrique Arnaldo and Concepción Espejel.
The sentence considers that the right to life, included in article 15 of the Constitution, is not absolute and therefore euthanasia can be connected with the right to personal liberty and dignity.
Vox challenged the norm for infringing the right to life by stating that it is a fundamental right that the State must protect, as is also its duty to offer palliative care to those who suffer.
Euthanasia, regulated in 2021 at the request of the Government of Pedro Sánchez, can be requested by people who suffer from “a serious and incurable disease” or a “serious, chronic and disabling condition” that affects autonomy and that generates “physical or constant and intolerable psychic”.
The patient may receive euthanasia about five weeks after requesting it, after being informed of the different alternatives and palliative care available, and after confirming their willingness to die at least four times throughout the entire process. In addition, the patient can withdraw at any time.
According to the calculations of the Right to Die with Dignity Association, some 300 could have been carried out this year and nine months into force. And that, pulling low because the implementation of this rule was a slow process for communities and hospitals, according to La Vanguardia reported yesterday.
